NEFMC Approves Atlantic Herring Alternatives for Analysis
April 24, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
During its April 18-20 meeting in Mystic, CT, the New England Fishery Management Council reviewed Draft Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and subsequently approved a wide range of alternatives for further analysis. The alternatives fall into two categories: (1) proposals to address potential localized depletion and user conflicts in the fishery; and (2) options to establish an acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rule that would be used when setting specifications and catch limits. The Council advanced nine primary localized depletion/user conflicts alternatives for additional development:
- Alternative 1 – No action, meaning no new measures would be implemented;
- Alternative 2 – A June 1-August 31 closure to all vessels and gear types fishing for Atlantic herring within 6 nautical miles (nm) from shore in Area 114 (solid green area off the back of Cape Cod in map at right);
- Alternative 3 – A year-round prohibition on using midwater trawl gear in Atlantic Herring Management Area 1A (red hatching in map);
- Alternatives 4, 5, and 6 – Three “buffer zone” proposals that would prohibit midwater trawl gear inside of 12 nm, 25 nm, and 50 nm respectively in Herring Management Areas 1B, 2, and 3 year-round from Cape Cod to the North/South Carolina border (see map next page);
- Alternative 7 – A prohibition on midwater trawl gear year-round within five different thirty minute squares – 99, 100, 114, 115, and 123 (green outlined blocks in map at right);
- Alternative 8 – Revert to original boundary line between Area 1B and 3 (see map page 3);
- Alternative 9 – Modify the Area 1B seasonal closure to open January 1 instead of May 1.
National Fish executive makes deal in fraud case
April 24, 2017 — A senior executive at Gloucester-based National Fish & Seafood pleaded guilty to one count of tax fraud Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boston and is set to be sentenced in July, the Justice Department announced.
Richard J. Pandolfo, 71, of North Andover, was indicted by a federal grand jury last June on four counts of filing false federal tax returns between 2009 and 2012.
The charges were reduced to one count as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Pandolfo, an executive vice president at the East Gloucester seafood processor, faces up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release, a fine of $100,000 and restitution of $25,879 to the Internal Revenue Service.
Prosecutors charge Pandolfo failed to pay federal tax on about $90,000 of the $95,000 in “substantial supplemental income” he received from former National Fish & Seafood executive and part-owner Jack Ventola from 2008 to 2012.
According to the original indictment, some of the supplemental income went directly to Pandolfo, while other payments went to a shell company established in the name of Pandolfo’s wife, who is not named in the indictment, through another shell company controlled by Ventola.
Coast Guard Rescues Man From Fishing Ship Dozens of Miles off Montauk
April 24, 2017 — The Coast Guard rescued a man who was suffering a medical emergency on a ship 65 miles south of eastern Long Island.
The 47-year-old man was lifted from the deck of the Braedon Michael after the fishing vessel contacted the Coast Guard around 8:30 a.m. Friday for help with a crewmember who was experiencing flu-like symptoms and was in and out of consciousness.
An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter launched from an air station in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and arrived at the ship about an hour later, where it swooped in and rushed the man to a local medical center.
MAINE: Portland to host international forum on scallops
April 24, 2017 — The International Pectinid Workshop is a biennial event dedicated entirely to scallops. It is taking place in Portland and runs until Tuesday.
The organizers say the conference is designed to bring together researchers, industry professionals and students to share research and information about management practices. Saturday’s events include a session about the role of diseases in the scallop fishery.
Scallops are a worldwide food resource. The U.S. sea scallop fishery was worth more than $400 million in 2015.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Connecticut Post
Boats may be hitting whales in Gulf of Maine more often, study suggests
April 24, 2017 — A group of marine scientists says collisions of whales and boats off the New England coast may be more common than previously thought.
The scientists focused on the humpback whale population in the southern Gulf of Maine, a body of water off Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. They found that almost 15 percent of the whales, which come to New England to feed every spring, had injuries or scarring consistent with at least one vessel strike.
The researchers, who published their findings in the March issue of the journal Marine Mammal Science, said the work shows that the occurrence of such strikes is most likely underestimated. They also said their own figure is likely low because it does not account for whales that are killed in ship strikes.
“Vessel strikes are a significant risk to both whales and to boaters,” said Alex Hill, the lead author of the study, who is a scientist with the conservation group Whale and Dolphin Conservation in Plymouth, Massachusetts. “Long-term studies can help us figure out if our outreach programs to boaters are effective, what kind of management actions are needed and help to assess the health of the population.”
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Portland Press Herald
Researchers study whales and the food they eat
April 24, 2017 — North Atlantic right whales need a lot of food each day — the caloric equivalent of 3,000 Big Macs — and right now there’s plenty of it in Cape Cod Bay, in the form of a tiny crustacean.
“The food resource is the thickest we have seen in 32 years,” Charles “Stormy” Mayo, head of the right whale ecology program at the Center for Coastal Studies, said of the zooplankton that whales consume.
In years past, the center’s water sampling in the bay has shown total zooplankton densities usually less than 5,000 organisms per cubic meter. While the individual zooplankton are measured in millimeters, the whales that eat them are among the largest animals on earth, reaching lengths of more than 50 feet and weighing up to 79 tons.
But on April 14, for example, the densities reached well over 40,000 organisms per cubic meter across most of the bay, according to Christy Hudak, the center’s associate scientist. Some areas west of Great Island in Wellfleet reached 72,000 organisms per cubic meter.
On that same day, more than 40 percent of the total population of right whales left in the world, 217 out of 524, were spotted in the bay.
“It might be that the food resource is particularly strong this year, and if it continues that will bode well for right whales,” biologist Mark Baumgartner of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said. “Alternatively, food in other habitats at other times of the year may be poor, leading to right whales concentrating in fewer places and fewer times, such as Cape Cod Bay in early spring.”
Scientists are looking at possible connections between the high concentration of right whales in the early spring in Cape Cod Bay and low calving rates.
MASSACHUSETTS: Loss of Rafael’s permits could hurt New Bedford
April 24, 2017 — By late morning just before Easter weekend, three fishing vessels lined up at the docks to unload their catch, and they all belonged to one man — the local mogul known as the “Codfather,” Carlos Rafael.
“It’s a good haul,” a passing auction worker at the Whaling City Seafood Display Auction said under her breath, as crew members, some still in their orange waterproof bibs, unloaded the ice-packed fish.
For decades, Rafael’s fleet of some 40 vessels has been a staple of this city’s fishing industry, a sight as common as the seal that patrols the docks.
But now, Rafael’s recent conviction on federal charges that he cheated fishing regulations to boost his profits is putting his many vessels and permits up for grabs — potentially distributing them to ports along the New England coast. That would deliver an economic blow to New Bedford and the people who depend on the business created by Rafael’s fleet.
Rafael, 65, whose nickname given by locals derives from his brash business style, is expected to be sentenced in June to about four years in prison. Local officials are urging the federal government to keep the permits in New Bedford, home to the country’s most valuable fishing port and one of the last true ports on the East Coast.
MAINE: Marine Patrol Officer Matthew Wyman Honored for Professional Excellence
April 21, 2017 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:
Maine Marine Patrol Officer Matthew Wyman has received the 2017 Northeast Conservation Law Enforcement Chief’s Award. The award, presented April 10, 2017 at the Northeast Fish and Wildlife Conference, honors a law enforcement official for professional excellence. The Conference brings together regional natural resources professionals in many fields including law enforcement.
Officer Wyman was recognized by Marine Patrol Sergeant Matthew Talbot, who nominated him for the award, for his depth of skill and knowledge and for his painstaking investigation of violations that threaten Maine’s valuable marine resources.
“As a Marine Patrol Officer working Mid-Coast Maine, Officer Wyman spends much of his time working activity associated with Maine’s lucrative lobster fishery,” said Sergeant Talbot. “Officer Wyman is dedicated and involved in the conservation of Maine’s lobster fishery. He is fair minded and he conducts thorough investigations. His efforts, experience, teamwork, and commitment greatly contributed to multiple lobster fishery violations being identified and addressed.”
Sergeant Talbot highlighted several cases in which Officer Wyman demonstrated exceptional effort and ability. “During 2016 Officer Wyman was instrumental in a lengthy investigation involving a lobster harvester who was found to be illegally fishing unmarked, untagged, sunken lobster traps in offshore waters,” said Sergeant Talbot. “In addition to spending a great deal of time underway, Officer Wyman exhibited skill in drafting search warrants and managing the technological portion of the investigation.”
Sergeant Talbot also applauded Officer Wyman protecting the future of Maine’s lobster resource. “Officer Wyman also participated in an investigation into a lobster harvester who was found to be scrubbing egg bearing lobsters. This is an egregious resource violation and he worked smartly and efficiently alongside his fellow officers to help build a solid case,” said Sergeant Talbot.
“Officer Wyman consistently demonstrates a high level of professionalism,” said Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher. “He has the respect of his peers and of the fishing community.”
The Northeast Conservation Law Enforcement Chiefs Association is a professional organization comprised of the chiefs and senior command staff from the 13 northeastern states, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, NOAA Officer for Law Enforcement and the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
The Maine Marine Patrol enforces Maine’s marine resources laws for commercial and recreational activity. Officers are involved in investigative and protective services work, including the enforcement of marine resource conservation law, rules and regulations. Officers patrol an assigned coastal area by land and air and aboard patrol vessels, protecting marine resources, coastal property and the public.
NOAA limits permits fisherman can own
April 21, 2017 — NOAA has approved a new rule to limit the number of permits and the amount of groundfish allocation any individual or entity can own in the Northeast multispecies fishery.
The rule is an attempt to create more diversity in the fishery by stemming the tide of consolidation. It prohibits any single ownership entity from acquiring an “excessive share of fishing privileges” or an unfair economic advantage over the groundfish market.
The rule precludes any ownership entity from possessing more than 5 percent of the total of limited access permits in the groundfishery. As of Feb. 21, there were 1,335 active permits in the fishery, which means no individual or entity can own more than 67 permits.
“The most permits held by any entity was 50,” the rule states. “Based on this information, this permit cap is unlikely to immediately restrict any entity.”
The rule, also known as Amendment 18 to the Northeast multispecies fishery management plan, also caps potential sector contributions (PSC). However, it removes several fishing restrictions “to increase operational flexibility for fishermen on limited access handgear vessels.”
“The combination of the PSC limit and 5 percent permit cap raises the difficulty and cost of acquiring enough permits and PSC for any one entity in the groundfish fishery to exert market power over the fishery,” the rule stated.
The rule, published Thursday in the Federal Register and principally effective May 20, has been long in the making.
The New England Fishery Management Council first started work on it in 2011. It approved the measure last August and submitted it to NOAA for public comment and final approval.
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